VOF WEEK 3

Challenges and Barriers to Blogging
To blog, one needs access to computer and internet which are limited services in rural Kenya where I am based. This provides the first challenge. Secondly, blogging requires some level of expert or experience in order to offer quality communication.

The risks brought about by high exposure to wide ranch of people some bad intention could easily lay trap by sending offers which end up being not true. So spamming is a real risk that faces blogging. It is not easy to keep tracking your blog. It requires time and resources which are sometimes scarce.

Without access to facilities as mentioned above, information does not flow in good time. Information is relevant when disseminated accurately and on time. Even in this Voice Of Future, we have timeframe to deliver our information.

Some of my present solutions to overcoming these challenges and barriers and what else I need to overcome them in the future.

One of the solutions was to purchase a computer and a modem for internet services. This has put me online at the touch of a button. I blog often to keep pace with the new technology and to pass my message to the world community, for example visit http://sscnnairobinetwork.ning.com/profile/GichukiFrancis.

I have found myself partially addicted to blogging nowadays helping me to overcome one of the challenges. I share lots of information through blogging. When I have bulk information and want to reach out so many people at one, I use blog, it allows me to email more people at once as opposed if I were to use my yahoo email account.

In future I would like to incorporate some of the new skills Iam learning here e.g. (VOICE Visionary, Original, Informative, Clear, Engaging and off course to KISS

Provision of basic services like computer and internet in rural Kenya is important aspect of getting more women involved in blogging and getting their voices out there. A community resources centre is one such solution I look-forward to etablishing.

6Encouragement

Tysa,
I love your idea for a community resource center. I can see how valuable that would be in rural Kenya and many other places where women are trying to overcome resource barriers to make their voices heard.
I am so glad you have found a way to make blogging a part of your life so that I can read more of your words and ideas.
Thank you,
Jocelyn

Dear Jocylne,
It is great to hear from you. You feel the experiences rural women have to go through. For them it is the daily cores that really matters. Reading your profuile and experience in Brazil, it is typical of Kenya. First time when i went to Brazil in the early 90s, i was amazed by the diversity in terms of the Haves and the Have nots.

Iam still veey much focused on having a community Resource and Empowerment Centre which will propel the girls to great hights of self esteem and development. Itis at this centre where they can surf internet, create bloggs and get their voices heard. When your email came in, i was just working on the project to be posted to Globalgiving for fundraising.Once it is uploaded, I will share with you.

Once again thanks for your comments which are encouraging and lookfoward to shairing

I commend you for persevering in your attempts to overcome the barriers to blogging and the limited access to technology in your home region. It can be so frustrating to see the great potential and strong voices all around you that lack an adequate source to be broadcast and heard, which is why a facility such a community resource center would be invaluable! Maybe you could look at the Sharing Solutions section of Pulse Wire to look for other similar success stories to help you realize this goal for your community.

I really enjoyed reading this post, but I wonder if you could expand more on the benefits of blogging and internet access to you and the females in your community? What other barriers are there to overcome beyond the technological difficulties?

Dear Amelia,
It is wonderful listening to your inspiring comments. As your message came into my computer, i was uploading a need under the sharing solutions section.Itis titled 'Helping Build Girls’ Resource Centre in Kitale Kenya'. It s great coincidence.

In Africa, reading culture is not developed. Rural areas are more affected. Traditionally, communication was done orally. Writing therefore is catching up more recently. Despite the technology challenges, the attitude towards sharing information through the Blog or internet is till limited. Majority of the women drop out of school early and therefore are challenged in terms of education level. They concentrate more on what they will feed their children or sisters with and blogging and internet is not a priority.

Despite the barriers, we have great success stories through blogging and internet use. For the first time through blogging and internet use, we were able to get funding for Empowering Rural girls through sports.40 girls have been trained as sports managers, and have gained broad knowledge in community mobilization. These are the girls who got a chance to access internet for the first time. Through Blogging and internet, we have raised over US$ 9000 through globalgiving over the last three years. These projects focus on empowering the girls and children. We have managed to raise our organization profile thus attracting more friends. World pulse is now offering the girls an opportunity to be heard and we are grateful

Blogging offers opportunity to anyone own a social space to share information to the world. It has revolutionalized the internet world helping the minority influence the world policies.

Dear Freesuukyi,
Thanks for comments. I have not worked with html, i would appreciate to now it and try it out.
Looking foward to hearing from you. I love your passion and committment to Southeast Asia.